Weekly News Recap: November 17, 2017

**Canadian soldier Nichola Goddard died in combat in May 2006. (Copyright: Sally Goddard)

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If you want lasting change, you have to give up this idea of just trying something, and you have to commit yourself to mastery. Because your life is not controlled by what you do some of the time, but by what you do consistently. -- Tony Robbins

Please, please. Reach out.

George Gosbee's death a devastating reminder of mental health effects (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORYWe need to reach out to each other. "Men are three times as likely to follow through on a suicide attempt as women [...]. Men need to reach out to other men and take them by the hand or the shoulder. To go to the doctor. To go to a counsellor." 11/14/17

UAlberta to host Clare Drake Celebration on Saturday (University of Alberta) EDMONTON STORYClare Drake is being inducted into the Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame. So well deserved. Congrats to Clare and his family. "While his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame may be his most notable accomplishment, it's far from his first. Drake has been inducted into the Alberta Sports Wall of Fame (1980), University of Alberta Sports Wall of Fame (1987), Canadian Sports Hall of Fame (1989), Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame (2005), and has received both the Order of Canada (2013), and the Order of Hockey in Canada (2014)." 11/11/17

Mike And Amy Walden Of Walden Security Present $1.25 Million Gift To UTC (The Chattanoogan) "On the eve of the day that honors their service to our country, veterans enrolled at UTC received a boost of support from Mike and Amy Walden of Walden Security. The couple has made a bequest of $1 million to support the Veterans Entrepreneurship Program. Walden Security also has increased its lead gift to the Veterans Entrepreneurship Program to $250,000, providing substantial funding for the next five years." 11/10/17

Alberta College of Art and Design buoyed by talks with Advanced Education minister (Metro) CALGARY STORYSome better news. "In a small classroom setting, Advanced Education Minister Marlin Schmidt met with students at ACAD after recent unrest and talks of financial turbulence. And his remarks were the subject of a cheery email from president Daniel Doz, who wrote he was heartened Advanced Education Minister Marlin Schmidt had time to squeeze them into his packed schedule." 11/10/17

Family of Capt. Nichola Goddard introduces fund to support women in the military (CBC) CANADIAN STORYI remember this story well. All of us who worked at the University of Calgary in 2016 remember this story. Nichola's parents now live and work in Charlottetown at UPEI but at that time Dr. Tim Goddard was the Vice Provost - International at the UofC. The video in this article is beautiful. I recommend taking the 11 minute journey. Captain Goddard is a hero and her legacy lives on. RIP Capt. Goddard. We will remember you. 11/9/17

LAKELAND COLLEGE RANKS NUMBER 2 FOR HAPPIEST COLLEGE (My Lloydminster Now) LLOYDMINSTER STORYHappy happy! Congrats to Lakeland College. "Lakeland in the second happiest college in Canada according to a survey done by Huffington Post. The survey asked 40,000 students to rate their current happiness level as they studied at their school. The average happiness level was reported to be 73 out of 100. Lakeland scored 85.7." 11/8/17

Winter's arrival puts pressure on homeless shelters (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORYThey need winter clothing. If you have extra, please consider donating. "Staff at Canada’s largest homeless shelter are assembling kits to ward off frostbite, as the return of colder weather brings a rise in shelter use in the city. While those at the Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre collect wool socks, toques, gloves, hand warmers, hand cream and lip balm, its operators are also beginning to see the usual seasonal influx of clients. 'It slowly ramps up as the temperature starts dropping,' said shelter spokesman Tyler Hallett. For now, just under 1,100 people are bedding down each night at the East Village facility, a number that will creep up in December, he said." 11/8/17

AFP/Globe and Mail National Philanthropy Day Supplement (Globe and Mail) CANADIAN CONTENTEarlier this week, on November 15, National Philanthropy Day was celebrated across the world. This supplement, a partnership between AFP and the Globe and Mail, is full of great stories on and about philanthropy. ViTrēo's Scott Decksheimer is quoted. 11/15/17

Holiday advice

On Philanthropy: This Thanksgiving, carve more than turkey (Denver Post) Great reminder as we move towards the holiday season. "The upcoming winter holidays are a wonderful and highly anticipated time to connect with loved ones and indulge in a certain amount of excess — including, for many of us, excessive gift-giving. Holidays can be both the best of times (in terms of social gatherings) and the worst of times (in terms of overconsumption)." 11/12/17

This Is the Solution to Your Insignificant Life (Personal Growth) Another brilliant piece by John Weiss. And a beautiful quote by Howard Thurman. "As long as a man has a dream in his heart, he cannot lose the significance of living. Men cannot continue long to live if the dream in the heart has perished. It is then that they stop hoping, stop looking, and the last embers of their anticipations fade away." 11/8/17

How And Why To Keep A “Commonplace Book” (Thrive Global) This term, 'Commonplace Book' has been cropping up for a few weeks now. Another great post about how best to manage information today, tomorrow, and forever. 10/30/17

Cognitive bias cheat sheet (Better Humans) With so many biases to work against, it's a wonder we have moved ahead as a society and as a civilization at all. Great list though. 9/1/17

Philanthropic personalities

PODCAST: A Hot Stock Leads to a Philanthropy (Bloomberg) "Jean Case says she didn't think things would play out this way: She never expected to be part of one of the best performing stock of the 1990s (America Online), or become a philanthropist committed to giving away the wealth she accumulated with her husband Steve Case, a founder of AOL." 11/14/17

Across the Finish Line: What's Behind a Campus Gift From Netflix's Reed Hastings? (Inside Philanthropy) "Early last year, Netflix CEO and founder Reed Hastings and his wife Patricia Ann Quillin stepped up their philanthropy in a big way, launching the $100 million Hastings Fund through the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The announcement was important for two reasons. First—and most obviously—its size. While Hastings and Quillin had been passionate about education for years, and active givers in this space, the fund represented a major commitment to future giving. The couple are signatories of the Giving Pledge and Forbes estimates that Hastings is worth $1.8 billion. Second, while Hastings and Quillin are best known for their giving on issues like K-12 reform and charter schools, the Hastings Fund centered on college scholarships." 11/13/17

Now He Loves LA! David Geffen's Topsy Turvy Bicoastal Giving (Inside Philanthropy) "Geffen began ramping up his giving to LA-based nonprofits in earnest back in 2013. Since then, we've been pushing the idea of a friendly "city fight" between Geffen's hometown of New York and his adopted West Coast home. It made good copy and better yet, there was truth to it. Geffen has toggled between both cities in tantalizing fashion. Grants of $25 million to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and $100 million to UCLA were balanced with a $100 million gift to the Lincoln Center and $100 million to the Museum of Modern Art." 11/8/17

Food bank responds to controversy over donation from drag show benefit (CBS) "A gay bar in Cape Girardeau, Missouri says the area food bank turned down its donation. Independence Place has been putting on benefit drag shows for 30 years. Each year, a different organization is chosen by the winner and this year, Danny Vaughn chose SEMO Food Bank as his charity, only to be turned away." 11/10/17

Studies and stats

Inside the Minds of Wealthy Donors (Inside Philanthropy) "Tens of thousands of fundraisers spend their days pursuing major donors, and myriad nonprofits depend upon their generosity. But how much do we know about these philanthropists? Not as much as we should, say the authors of a new study on high-net-worth donors titled 'Going Beyond Giving,' just released by The Philanthropy Workshop (TPW), a leader in educating donors through immersive learning." The key takeaway: "high-wealth donors approach philanthropy much more as an art than a science. They’re dedicated to giving, but not especially systematic or professional." 11/14/17

'It's the conditions around them': Edmonton's marginalized being left behind (Metro) EDMONTON STORYGood on you Edmonton Public Library and NorQuest. This is important to study and report on. "Edmonton's most marginalized are often falling through the cracks despite their best efforts, according to a new study. Norquest College and the Edmonton Public Library teamed up for the second annual Building a Better Life/Social Capital Study, which was released Wednesday." 11/8/17

The Giving Report 2017 (CanadaHelps.org) CANADIAN CONTENT*Current. Clear. Canadian. "Welcome to The Giving Report 2017. The charitable sector is essential to the fabric of Canadian society. In [CanadaHelps'] inaugural annual report, you will learn all about the charitable sector, where the money goes, and how people like you give." November 2017*

Trends and shifts

Looking Deep Into the Brain With New Technology Bankrolled by Foundations (Inside Philanthropy) "One critical role that philanthropy can play to advance scientific knowledge is to invest in new or experimental research tools [...]. Well here's another intriguing example of such funding: Two American and two British funders backed the development of a new probe to monitor neural activity with more precision and lower cost than currently available technology. The collaboration presents a unique philanthropic approach to making better tech more widely available to academic researchers, particularly in cases where costs are higher than most government grants or universities will cover." 11/13/17

Alberta researcher creates AI that can compare multiple cases, use legal reasoning (The Lawyer's Daily) EDMONTON STORYI have said it's coming and now it's here. Randy tells me this is just the 'tip of the iceberg'. "A world where artificial intelligence (AI) is used in courtrooms to rule on cases and in law firms to predict trial outcomes may seem like a science fiction novel to most, but work done by a researcher in Edmonton may be turning that fiction into a reality." 11/8/17

Champion Academy gets $1 million donation to kick off fundraising campaign (NBC) "An initiative that empowers at risk teens in Rochester got a $1 million donation on Tuesday. The donation helped the Champion Academy kick off its first-ever fundraising campaign called 'Champions for Change.' Retired NFL star Roland Williams who owns and operates Champion Academy is hoping to raise over $5 million to ensure the program's continued success. And they're already off to a great start with the donation from the William and Mildred Levine Foundation." Champions Academy is located in Rochester, New York. 11/14/17

Mercyhurst history dept. renamed after $1.5 mil. donation (YourErie.com) "Mercyhurst University is naming its history department after an Erie business leader. The department is taking on its new name, the Thomas B. Hagen Department of History. This, after Hagen donated $1.5 million to the program." Mercyhurst University, formerly Mercyhurst College, is a Catholic liberal arts college in Erie, Pennsylvania. 11/13/17

Sac State announces $6 million donation for entrepreneurship center (The State Hornet) "Sacramento State President Robert Nelsen announced [...] that a record-breaking $6 million donation will be used to develop an “entrepreneurial center” in the University Library. The donation comes from Dale Carlsen, a Sac State alumnus and founder of Sleep Train Mattress Center, and his wife, Katy Carlsen." 11/13/17

With $15 million donation to USF, top donors urge others to follow their lead (Tampa Bay Times) "The university had already hit its $1 billion fundraising goal, and the college sweethearts had already cemented their spot as the top donors to their beloved alma mater. At a black tie gala at Amalie Arena [...] though, philanthropic giants Pam and Les Muma surprised the crowd by announcing yet another massive donation to the University of South Florida. They hope their blockbuster gift of $15 million sends a message: USF's fundraising campaign may be winding down, but the gifts should go on." 11/11/17

Women’s cross country receives $1 million donation (Chips) "An anonymous Luther alum donated $1 million to the women’s cross country and track and field program. The donation will go toward creating the Kent Finanger Endowed Chair. This will honor Coach Kent Finanger, who coached from 1956 to 1996 and was vital in developing Luther’s women’s cross country team." 11/10/17

Rutgers receiving $34M art donation and $10M endowment, its largest gift ever (TapInto) This collection is amazing. And cool. "Rutgers University is receiving a prestigious art collection valued at nearly $34 million, its largest single donation ever, the university announced on Thursday. The collection comprises 17,300 pieces of Soviet nonconformist art, given to the university by Nancy Dodge, the widow of economist and art collector Norton Dodge. Rutgers will put the works on display at the Zimmerli Art Museum, which already houses the 4,000 pieces of work donated by Nancy and Norton Dodge in 1991." 11/10/17

Tech company pledges bitcoin donation to build youth home (Star Tribune) "A tech company in Eugene has pledged to donate $2 million to construct a facility for homeless teenagers in western Oregon, but the gift will be made in bitcoin. CBT Nuggets, an information technology training company, plans to cover the full costs through the independent digital currency to construct a 20-room facility to house teenage boys, The Register-Guard reported ." 11/10/17

Appalachian State receives $10 million donation to athletics (Winston-Salem Journal) "Appalachian State athletics announced on Wednesday it received a $10 million donation commitment. App State alumnus Mark Ricks, a 1989 graduate of the school, is donating the money to support the university's A Mountaineer Impact initiative, according to a school-issued press release." Appalachian State University is a comprehensive, public, coeducational university in Boone, North Carolina. 11/8/17

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